AV Idol in Rough Waters

A recent conflict between China and Japan has seen the two nations arguing over who should rightfully control the Senkaku Islands, an uninhabited cluster of islands in the East China Sea. Challenging Japan’s current control, China, which calls them Diaoyu, regards the islands as their own, saying that their location (in Chinese waters) and history (China controlled them over 100 years ago) equates to ownership. Japan, seeing this as part of a wave of anti-Japanese sentiment, ignored these claims and the two countries found themselves embroiled in quite the drama.

In an effort to ease tensions between China and her native Japan, AV idol Sola Aoi posted on her Sin Weibo account (the equivalent of our Twitter) and asked her 13 million followers to find peace and unity. Holding a sign sporting her hand-painted calligraphy and reading “Japanese-Chinese Friendship,” Aoi’s post backfired and saw Chinese fans and netizens complaining of her plea’s apparent lack of sincerity; evident, apparently, because she placed her native Japan first on the sign.

Among the insults and slurs tossed her way – one notable comment called her a “Japanese dog” – there were a few supportive remarks. One in particular, encapsulated the conflict beautifully: “Who the Diaoyu Islands belong to is not important, as long as Sola Aoi remains on my hard disk.”